Chapter 4

Alisa POV:

The darkness was a warm, inviting blanket, soft around the edges. I felt myself slipping, the pain receding, a welcome numbness spreading through my limbs. I closed my eyes, ready to surrender.

Then, a small, insistent nudge. A shadow against the fading light. A voice, young and uncertain, cutting through the haze.

"Ma' am? Are you okay?"

My eyelids fluttered, heavy as lead. A small face, smudged with dirt and streaked with tears, swam into view. A boy, no older than Jax, maybe a year or two more. His eyes, wide and scared, held a surprising depth of concern.

"My... my grandma said not to leave anyone behind," he mumbled, his voice trembling. "She said to always help."

He was small, his clothes torn, his knees scraped raw. But there was a fierce determination in his young eyes. He looked like he' d been through hell, yet he was still standing, still trying to help.

"I' m... I' m not... okay," I whispered, each word an effort. My throat was raw, my lungs burning.

He nodded, a solemn, understanding gesture. "I know. My grandma... she' s gone." His voice broke, but he quickly wiped his nose with the back of his hand, trying to be brave. "But you' re still here. We have to go."

He was so small, yet his resolve was immense. He grabbed my arm, his tiny fingers surprisingly strong. "Come on. We have to try."

The effort was agonizing. Every muscle screamed in protest. My heart stuttered, sending a fresh wave of nausea through me. My head lolled.

"I... I can' t," I gasped, the world spinning. "My heart..."

"Yes, you can!" he insisted, tugging harder. "Just a little bit. Crawl. I' ll pull you."

Crawl. The word echoed in my mind. I was a grown woman, reduced to crawling, relying on a child younger than my own son. The humiliation was sharp, but the primal urge to survive was stronger.

Inch by painful inch, I dragged myself forward, the boy pulling, pushing, whispering encouragement. The debris was relentless, sharp shards of glass and twisted metal tearing at my clothes, scraping my skin. The dust made every breath a struggle. There were moments I wanted to give up, to just lie down and let the darkness consume me. It would be easier. So much easier.

"We' re almost there!" he' d yell, his voice hoarse, his small face red with exertion. "Just a little more, ma' am!"

He never stopped. Never gave up. His unwavering resolve was a lifeline in the suffocating darkness. He was my little fierce protector, a beacon in the ruins.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, we broke through. We emerged into the relative open, the acrid air still thick but breathable. The street was chaotic, sirens wailing, emergency lights flashing. We had made it.

The boy, once released from the intense adrenaline of our escape, stumbled. His small legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the dusty sidewalk, coughing violently. His tiny body shook with exhaustion.

"Are you okay?" I managed, my voice still weak, but a surge of concern for him overriding my own pain.

He pushed himself up, his eyes scanning the chaos. "You... you need a doctor," he wheezed, pointing towards the nearest ambulance. "Go. I' ll... I' ll wait here."

My heart, despite its agony, swelled with a painful gratitude. This child, who had just lost his own grandmother, who was clearly traumatized and exhausted, was still thinking of me.

"What' s your name?" I asked, tears finally stinging my eyes, blurring the flashing lights.

"Keyla," he rasped, then corrected himself. "Keyla Dyer." He looked down at his dirty hands. "My grandma... she didn' t make it." The words were raw, laced with unspeakable grief, but he held back his tears, stiffening his small shoulders. He didn' t want to be a burden. He didn' t want to cry in front of me.

My own pain, immense as it was, felt dwarfed by his silent suffering. Orphaned, alone in this terrifying chaos, yet he had saved me. His bravery, his selflessness, it pierced through the years of emotional numbness I had built around myself. I saw my own loneliness reflected in his eyes, but also a resilience that shamed me.

"Keyla," I said, reaching out a trembling hand and gently cupping his face, ignoring the dirt. "You saved my life. I couldn' t have done it without you."

He flinched at my touch, then leaned into it, his small body trembling.

"You don' t have anyone else, do you?" I asked, my voice choked with emotion.

He shook his head, looking away. "No. Just Grandma."

The words were out before I could fully process them, fueled by a strange mix of desperation, gratitude, and a profound sense of connection. "Come live with me, Keyla. Be my son. I' ll adopt you. We' ll be a family."

Keyla' s head snapped up, his eyes wide with surprise, then suspicion. "You... you don' t have to do that. I can... I can go to a shelter. I don' t want to be a trouble." His voice was barely audible, imbued with a lifetime of feeling like a burden.

"You are not a trouble," I said firmly, my voice gaining strength with every word. "You are the bravest, kindest person I have ever met. I want you. I need you. We' ll take care of each other."

I reached out and pulled him into a weak hug, my arms aching, but my heart feeling a strange, unfamiliar warmth. "I promise, Keyla. You' ll never be alone again. We' ll start the paperwork as soon as I' m out of the hospital."

His small body stiffened, then relaxed against me, a tiny, ragged sob escaping his lips. He clung to me, his fragile hope palpable. This was a new beginning. Not the one I had ever planned, but perhaps the one I truly needed.